Posts Tagged ‘pre-teens’

HEATHER TULLIS has been reading romance for as long as she can remember and has been publishing in the genre since 2009. She has published more than twenty books.

When she’s not dreaming up new stories to write, or helping out with her community garden, she enjoys playing with her dogs and cat, cake decorating, trying new jewelry designs, inventing new ways to eat chocolate, and hanging out with her husband.

Jonah Owens thought moving to Echo Ridge to open his art gallery would solve all of his problems. The need to sell his grandma’s house adds an unexpected complication. It would be easier if his neighbor didn’t have all those farm animals.

Kaya Feidler’s family has owned their land for nearly a hundred years–long before the neighbors were there. There’s no way she’s giving up the animal therapy business she’s been struggling to make profitable. She gets a temp job helping Jonah in the gallery.

Spending time together is a recipe for romance, but can they overcome their own hangups to be more than friends?

Jonah picked at a piece of shredded
lettuce on his sandwich. “I’d do anything for my grandma. Besides, I love it
here, and I was ready for a change. A complete change.” He’d been dragging
around trying to paint post-Janet. This was a fresh start in many ways.

“She said you haven’t painted anything in a long time.” Kaya’s words
were hesitant, as though she wanted to ask, but didn’t want to pry.

“I hit a wall.” He paused. It felt wrong to gloss it over with Kaya,
though he didn’t know why. He went with the impulse. “I was dating someone
seriously. When it ended, I found I could only paint dark stuff. Stuff I
wouldn’t buy or hang, and definitely wouldn’t sell. I tried working through it,
but I tried so hard to paint things I wasn’t feeling that I ended up not being
able to paint at all. Nothing remotely good, anyway. Technically correct, but
not emotionally true at all, so I had to stop. The gallery is sort of my backup
plan.” It had taken a long time for him to admit it was what he had to do.

Former action-movie star Chet has counted the days since he lost his wife last New Year’s Eve almost a year ago. When he’s given a shot at starring in a reboot of her favorite TV show, he jumps at it. But there’s a catch: the producers won’t hire him unless he can prove he’s regained emotional stability—by bringing a steady girlfriend to his five auditions.

Which means: five mandatory dates for this bereft widower.

Social worker Holly lost her fiancé to war. With his good life snuffed out too soon, she feels compelled to finish his bucket list of unselfish deeds. But four years later, several remain, and they’re ridiculously impossible. Until she accomplishes her soldier’s dreams, she can’t even consider moving on with her life.

When they meet on the beach at Getaway Bay, what she doesn’t know is homeless-looking mourner Chet is actually Colt Winchester, screen star and fashion icon. What he doesn’t know is that he’s a means to an end.

When their walls start to crumble on their Christmas season dates, can these two find love again, or will they forever be chasing ghosts?”

“Excuse me.” A server approached with a silver platter covered with frosted sugar cookies. “Would you care for a cookie?”

“Who says no to a sugar cookie?” Holly took two—a star and a snowman. “Thank you.” One bite of the star’s vanilla-almond buttercream frosting sent her mouth into ecstasy.

“These are good,” Chet ate his green-frosted Christmas tree in two bites.

“Did you try the snowman?” The frosting of her second cookie melted into a sweet coconutty heaven on her tongue. “Mmm. It’s childhood in a sugary bite.”

“Do you bake?” He spoke through a mouthful. “Mmm. Cookies are love.”

Chet caught Holly off guard. He hadn’t seemed like the type to make such a tender analogy.

“Ah, sometimes. And you’re right. Especially sugar cookies. They require so many steps I always just buy them.” She never made them. Not even for Rick. “The only thing that could motivate a person to make them is love of the recipients of the cookies.”

“That,” Chet said, “or a deep love of sugar cookies.”

“Gluttony could also be a motivator.”

“Where’s that platter? We should get more of those.” Spoken like a true hungry person.

Holly had never experienced true hunger, at least not physical hunger. Maybe Chet needed more cookies.

“If we walk around, we might run into the sugar cookie person again.” Or someone with another kind of food, if Chet needed it. However, tonight, Chet seemed a lot less like a guy who needed to fish to feed himself than he had the other day.

They walked toward a table with chairs and sat down. Chet reached across the table and took her by both hands. “I think girlfriend is right for now.”

Girlfriend. Holly stared down at their clasped hands atop the green velvet tablecloth. His were rough, like they’d held a fishing rod in the sun for a lot of hours, day after day. She’d seen him on the shore.

“So that makes you my boyfriend.” The word sounded younger than she felt. The last four years had aged her. Against her collarbone, Rick’s unused wedding ring heated up again. “You work fast.”

Murder? Romance? Intrigue? The Desert Oasis runs rampant with gossip and secrets.
Sweetie Bastard told Hunny Bunny—pack your bags we’re moving to lovely Tucson, Arizona. She didn’t have a choice. He sold her house and bought a park model online sight unseen in the Desert Oasis 55 plus community.
The park was more asphalt than oasis—hot—dry—terrible.
The trailer was a wreck. No air-conditioning. No beautiful view of the San Francisco Bay.
There’s an Arizona room to build. A golf cart to buy. Dances, crafts and funerals to attend.
Bunny agrees to take water aerobics. She hates water.
First lesson—the park’s ladies’ man athletic director was found weighed down and dead at the bottom of the swimming pool. Who killed philandering Dan? And why?
The last tenant in their new home, Wanda, left behind her clothes, knickknacks and dishes. The place gives her the willies. Bunny can’t stand an unsolved mystery, and she’ll dig deep and wide to solve Wanda’s case.
Download Alpaca My Bags today. Will Bunny agree to live happily ever after in the Oasis, or will she make Sweetie Bastard move to posh Scottsdale?

Giveaway

About the author

I grew up in Arkansas, just a few miles from Louisiana. Violet Patton was a grandmother. I took her name as a pen name in her honor. She didn’t read much and when she did it was True Confessions magazine. She married a man twice her age at 18 and she did not have romance in her life, but she longed for it. She was tough, picking cotton, milking cows and tending a garden to keep her family alive. Behind her toughness was a sweet tenderness which showed through her beautiful blue eyes. Now as I age, I miss her more and more. Her photograph graces my desk, and I often ask for her advice or read my stories aloud to her. I can hear her laugh as I read my stories and I remember that spirit she never lost despite her adversities.

Georgia
Thackery is feeling pretty good about her summer job teaching at
prestigious Overfeld College, and she’s renting a rustic cabin
right by a lake for herself, her daughter, Madison, and her best
friend, Sid the Skeleton. Together again, the trio are enjoying the
quiet when a teenager named Jen shows up looking for her friend.
Georgia doesn’t recognize the name, but she learns that the person
Jen was looking for is actually Sid.

Sid
reveals that he and Jen are part of a regular online gaming group
that formed locally, and one of their members has gone missing. Sid
admits that he might have bragged about his investigative prowess,
enough so that Jen wants him to find their missing player. Given that
Sid doesn’t have many friends offline—none, really, unless you
count the Thackery family—Georgia agrees to help him search. They
manage to discreetly enlist Jen, who lives in town, and follow the
clues to… a dead buddy.

Now
they’ve got a killer on their hands. Probing the life of Sid’s
friend, they realize a lot is wrong both on campus and in the
seemingly quaint town, and someone doesn’t want them looking
deeper.

ThoughLeigh Perry was born in Pensacola, FL and raised in Charlotte,
NC, she has been living north of Boston, MA for 26 years or so. She
shares the house with her husband, two daughters, two guinea pigs,
and a ludicrous selection of books. While the population of people
and guinea pigs stays constant, the number of books is on an
ever-rising curve. Under the name Toni L.P. Kelner, she’s published
eleven novels and twenty-something short stories, as well as
co-edited six urban fantasy anthologies with New York Times
bestseller Charlaine Harris.

Leah Moyes is from Arizona but experienced many parts of the world in thanks to a career in the airlines. Now most of her time, aside from writing, is spent with her family, reading Historical Fiction novels or studying ancient cultures as a student of Archaeology.

She always believed she was born in the wrong time period, but since she doesn’t have access to a time machine she must write and read intriguing stories of the past.

It’s Aug 13, 1961, in Berlin Germany. Nationale Volksarmee soldiers roll barbed wire across the war-torn city to create the first Berlin Wall.

Families are separated, livelihoods destroyed, death comes easily as crippling fear paralyzes the occupants on both sides of the wall. Fifteen-year-old Ella is faced with an agonizing decision. Does she risk crossing the wall and possible death to reach her family? Or does she embrace her new life and blossoming love that could be wrenched from her at any moment? West Germany and possible freedom or East Germany and controlled chaos?

Ensnare, the first book in the “Berlin Butterfly” series, is a story of life, love, survival and the struggle of living through the dark early years of the Berlin Wall. Readers will be captivated with Ella’s strength, determination, and vulnerability as she opens her heart amidst a dangerous and terrifying journey.”

“El?” The sound was barely a purr, but there was no doubt where it emerged from.

I glanced at Anton then down to Papa. The commotion must’ve startled him awake. I went to him but delayed my touch, knowing he would sense my uneasiness. I knelt to the side of the couch and leaned my face in until I felt his breath on my cheek.

“Go,” he mumbled.

I looked at him alarmed, although the darkness hid my face. Is he really telling me to leave? I waited for a confirmation that came within seconds.

“You . . . must . . . go,” he gasped with very little strength.

I placed my trembling hand on the side of his face. “Please, Papa. Don’t make me choose.” My eyes stung from the strain. I looked back at Anton, my heart emotionally torn between the people I loved the most.

For fans of A Knight of Silence and Read My Lips comes a YA historical western full of grit and heart…

In 1874, Ivy Steele’s deafness is more than a handicap. It’s a disease. Surrounded by a family that doesn’t understand her, she’s learned to cope and find solace where she can. Then, the unexpected happens. Her aunt dies, and her uncle sends her away to rejoin her father’s family in Montana.Left to fend for herself, after the companion hired to escort her abandons her, sixteen-year-old Ivy faces continual hardship and danger. Several men see an unaccompanied Ivy as a flower ripe for the picking, and things only get worse when masked men hold up their stagecoach.

Barely scraping through, Ivy makes it to Montana with her nerves shaken and what little money she has in her boot. Expecting a peaceful if not affectionate welcome, Ivy finds herself in greater hardship than she’s ever known.

Surrounded by a stepfamily that hates her, and flung into a life where hearing is vital, Ivy finds solace in a handsome cowboy named Remy. But things with her new family are not what they seem. And Ivy is about to find out that the danger she faced on the journey west, has followed her to Montana…

Bethany Swafford dazzles with her stunning young adult debut, introducing a strong heroine, the hardships of frontier life, shocking twists, and a slow-burning romance that will leave you wanting more.

For as long as she can remember, Bethany Swafford has loved reading books. That love of words extended to writing as she grew older and when it became more difficult to find a ‘clean’ book, she determined to write her own. Among her favorite authors is Jane Austen, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Georgette Heyer.

When she doesn’t have pen to paper (or fingertips to laptop keyboard), she can generally be found with a book in hand. In her spare time, Bethany reviews books for a book site called More Than A Review.

C.A. Gray is the author of the YA Fantasy PIERCING THE VEIL trilogy, as well as the YA Dystopian trilogy, THE LIBERTY BOX. By day, she is a Naturopathic Medical Doctor (NMD), with a primary care practice in Tucson, AZ. Additionally, she writes medical books under her real name.

Her favorite authors include J.K. Rowling and Suzanne Collins, and she also reads an exceptional amount of non-fiction. She is blessed with exceptionally supportive family and friends, and thanks God for them every single day!

The Silver Six have blown the Renegades’ underground compound to bits, killing several of Rebecca’s best friends in the process—and to her horror, the boy Rebecca had convinced herself she loved for all these years was the one to betray them all. At the same time, General Specs, the company Liam was once slated to inherit, has developed a superintelligent robot called Jaguar which is quickly becoming godlike in her omniscience. As the remaining Renegades flee to their last bastion of safety in the Caribbean, Liam makes his way back to London, in a last ditch effort to convince his father to destroy Jaguar before it’s too late.

Rebecca, meanwhile, finally understands her own heart: she never loved Andy. He was merely a ‘safe’ choice who would never require anything of her. Liam, on the other hand, exasperating as he was, had seen past her defenses. All of his teasing and provoking had been his attempt to get her to be real with him—but the more he made her feel, the further she had retreated. She had even substituted her companion bot Madeline for real, deep human friendships, and for the same reason: she’d been avoiding love to protect herself from another loss like the one she had experienced when her father was killed for the Renegades’ cause. Ironically, she only realizes this once Liam is on his way to a similar fate. But she’ll be damned if she lets him go without a fight.

This high stakes conclusion to the Uncanny Valley Trilogy envisions a world not too far off from our own, in which superintelligence is a reality, humanoid bots have supplanted human power and influence, and there are eyes watching and reporting our every move. If humanity is to survive, the Renegades will have to galvanize support across the globe, under the radar—and it will require every last bit of ingenuity they possess. But is attempting to outwit a superintelligent being really the answer? Or will it require something much more fundamentally human?

With one glance back at the hovercraft, Rick tossed the hammer back inside and barked at Francis, “Cover us!”

“What do you think I’m doing?” Francis yelled back.

I realized Rick must have sliced open his hand on the jagged glass when he scooped Liam up over one shoulder, leaving trails of blood on his hospital gown. Rick scrambled back to the window, just as the chair in the doorframe slid all the way loose.

“Closer!” Francis shouted to the hovercraft pilot bot. The hovercraft scraped the ledge now, but it was enough for Rick to leap up to the ledge and haul Liam’s shoulders aboard. I grabbed his legs, held them up, and shoved.

“Stop!” called the bots in the doorframe. Francis opened fire, and I could hear the bullets glancing off the bots’ metallic bodies. You have to shoot them in the eyes! I thought frantically. The humanoid bots behind us fired bullets out of their wrists. Searing pain shot through my shoulder, just as a strong arm locked around my waist. Francis gave a cry, and just before I collapsed on top of Liam’s limp form, I saw the blossom of blood spreading across the side of Francis’s t-shirt. His face went white, and he let out a gurgle.

No, I thought, just as Rick shouted at the pilot bot, “Go go go!” Then we rocketed up, leaving my stomach on the ground below.

Cas lives in the lovely county of Hampshire, southern UK, where she was born. On leaving school she trained for two years before qualifying as horse-riding instructor. During this time she also learned to carriage-drive. She spent thirteen years in the British Civil Service before moving to Rome, Italy, where she and her husband, Dave, lived for three years. They enjoy returning whenever they can. Cas supports many animal charities and owns two rescue dogs. She has a large collection of cacti and loves gardening. She is also a folk singer/songwriter and is currently writing and recording nine folk-style songs to accompany each of her fantasy books. You can listen to and download all the songs from her website: www.caspeace.com

Born in the eighties, her formative years in the nineties, Rebecca’s taste in music and fashion never really had a chance. Fortunately, you can’t tell these things from her writing or voice over work. Her first novel, Trespasser, is as dark as her neon is bright, and you’d never guess from hearing her that she’s narrating science fiction in nothing but unicorn pants.

Currently residing in London, Rebecca is passionate about travel, and has a good- albeit sometimes dubious- ear for accents. She graduated from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama with a degree in something or other, has a background in musical theatre, a past career in burlesque, and is a classically trained opera singer. Oh, and she likes greyhounds. And wine.

Taran Elijah’s quest for knowledge uncovers a plot that threatens the world…

In Albia, the fourth
realm, the precious Artesan gift
is dying. Although born to the craft, Taran is struggling to achieve his potential. Against his friends’ advice, he embarks on a foolhardy plan to acquire the teaching he craves. Alone, he crosses into Andaryon, the fifth realm, but instead of finding a mentor, he stumbles upon a treacherous plot.

In the wake of Taran’s actions, Albia suffers a series of vicious raids, and Major Sullyan of the High King’s forces is sent to oppose them. But a dark and treacherous force is moving through the realms, and both Taran and Sullyan will feel its power.
Their craft, the lives of their friends, the very existence of their realm are
under threat unless they expose and oppose the evil.

Review:

“Cas Peace’s Artesans of Albia trilogy immediately sweeps you away: the drama starts with King’s Envoy, continues unabated in King’s Champion, and climaxes in King’s Artesan, yet each volume is complete, satisfying. The Artesan series propels you into a world so deftly written that you see, feel, touch, and even smell each twist and turn. These nesting novels are evocative, hauntingly real. Smart. Powerful. Compelling. The trilogy teems with finely drawn characters, heroes and villains and societies worth knowing; with stories so organic and yet iconic you know you’ve found another home—in Albia. So start reading now. I, for one, can’t wait to find out what will happen next.

I enjoyed the reading of King’s Envoys; Artesans of Albia by Cas Peace and narrated by Rebecca. It was full of emotions, clear and well done. The narrator does a great job with the reading and it flows smoothly.The Artesan Series takes you into a world where you can imagine every detail of the descriptions in the tale. It is a most entertaining tale, full of twists and turns that will compel you to keep reading it to the end. It is great for readers of high fantasy and lovers of good narrated books.

In Albia, the fourth realm, the precious Artesan gift is dying.Their craft, their lives and the very existence of their realm are under threat unless they expose and oppose the evil.

Mary’s family has moved into a huge Victorian mansion. She loves her gigantic new house, especially her room. But then she begins to meet the house’s other residents.

Mrs. Murray was murdered in Mary’s new house. At first she tries to scare the new residents away, but there seems to be a force connecting the ghost to Mary.

Even the stranded Brownies, the little people who live between the walls, feel that connection. When Mary becomes deathly ill, the Brownies and the ghost team up to try to rescue her, only to encounter a witch and her evil minions. Time is running out. They must rescue Mary from a fever-induced dream world before she is trapped there forever.

Emily-Jane Hills Orford is an award-winning author of several books, including Gerlinda (CFA 2016) which received an Honorable Mention in the 2016 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards, To Be a Duke (CFA 2014) which was named Finalist and Silver Medalist in the 2015 Next Generation Indie Book Awards and received an Honorable Mention in the 2015 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards. She writes about the extra-ordinary in life and her books, short stories, and articles are receiving considerable attention. For more information on the author, check out her website at: http://emilyjanebooks.ca

There is a street called Piccadilly in
London, England. In fact, there is a place, an intersection, known as
Piccadilly Circus. But it is questionable as to whether or not there are any
major intersections along the famous Piccadilly Street that have residential
houses of some distinction on all four corners, and there is definitely no
intersection of Piccadilly Street and Waterloo Street. When I last visited
London, England, I was disappointed to note that there wasn’t even a Waterloo
Street, just a Waterloo Road, and that was on the other side of the river from
Piccadilly Street. So, the intersection of Piccadilly Street and Waterloo
Street could only occur in the other London, the one in which Mary grew up.
Indeed, the number of her childhood home, had it existed in London, England,
could only exist in the middle of the intersection of Piccadilly Street and
Regent Street.

There
are other cities in the world that bear the auspicious name of London. But only
the one in Canada has an intersection of Piccadilly Street and Waterloo Street
with an old Victorian mansion on each of the four corners. One, in particular,
is a grand Queen Anne style, early twentieth-century building complete with a
tower room, a bay window, stained glass windows, mosaic tiled floors and much
more. A family moved in to take up residence in 1967. Mary’s family. It was
also at this house that others took up residence many years earlier and never
left. One died and left her restless spirit to roam the halls and torment those
who chose to reside in the house. The other two were little sprites known as
Brownies. They lived inside the walls and watched over the house that they also
called home.

You see, the Brownies had a mission, something that was going to
involve one of the new residents of this old house: a twelve-year-old girl by
the name of Mary. This is, in fact, Mary’s story, or, at least, the beginning
of her story. For there is much more to Mary’s story than this little tale.

Lenea’s
brother spends every clear night pointing a telescope at the same
stars. When she confronts him, he lets her look through the
telescope. A small sliver speck changes course, slows, and merges
with a larger silvery spot.

In that brief moment, her
life changes. Her brother spies on space aliens! Soon she learns the
aliens have a settlement in the Kenned Valley, and that her boyfriend
monitors their communications.

Then
he disappears.

What do they want, and can her world survive?

Just
before he has to give up and go home broke, Captain Seddry finds the
perfect world. It is rich in ore, has a breathable atmosphere, and it
even has a reasonable climate — an ideal place for a new Langon
colony. The fuzzy natives won’t be a problem. They don’t have any
large weapons or even airplanes, making them too primitive to ever
find the mining colony hidden away in an isolated valley. Or so he
thinks.

I
live in California with my husband, and raise baby squirrels for a
wildlife care center. I could go into detail about my background and
education, but that is rather boring. Let me say that I am quiet,
love the outdoors, and never have enough time to do all the things I
want to do.

Nana and the “c” is a book for all ages and all cultures as it is about family and the ability to support a loved one through the challenges of cancer. It is told from a seven-year-old’s perspective as she gathers the courage to face her grandmother’s illness and learns that her irritating younger sister is perhaps smarter than she seems. Together they also learn how to conquer their biggest fear and replace worry with wonder. The story is uplifting and often humorous while symbolizing hope. It will make readers of all ages laugh, cry, and remember their own childhood and the relationships and events that influenced who they have become. The goal of this story is to help children through health crises in their family. The illustrator, editor and designer donated their time to help with the project in order to make possible the donation of copies of the book to waiting rooms of cancer clinics.

Doris Schneider is an artist, scene designer, writer, and educator. She taught at William Carey University and was a tenured professor of theatre at North Carolina Central University. She published two novels: Borrowed Things and By Way of Water.

After her own bout with breast cancer, she wrote this story based on a real event with her granddaughters. While the illustrator, Wenhai Ma, was teaching at Duke University, the two became long term friends—culminating in their collaboration on Nana and the “c”.

Meet the Illustrator:

Wenhai Ma – American–Chinese scene designer, illustrator and educator. He was granted tenured professorship at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He graduated from the Central Academy of Drama, China and Carnegie Mellon University, USA. He has taught at Duke University, University of Nebraska Lincoln, Purdue University and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, the Central Academy of Drama, China and the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore. He is the author of Scene Design Rendering and Media (Focus Publishing, USA) and illustrator for 10 children’s picture books in the US. He has designed sets and costumes for various dramas, operas and musicals in the United States, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and Indonesia. His first novel Such An Enchanted Night was published in Taiwan, 2017.

After
her Grimoire is lost to the Order of Helix, Leilana is left to
prepare herself in a newfound way before her return to the crown city
of Linmus to help reclaim Prince Remiel’s throne. One by one,
countries lay burning at their feet. Magic is on its last legs, but
the Orb of Concord is within their reach.

From
the opposite spectrum, the mastermind awaits, playing puppet-master
as they march to their doom. Time is against them as the final
moonless night looms above. The final test from the Warlords of Old
has finally come into play.

Leilana
Erovina’s got a bid for power as she takes the final test to become
one of her realm’s Warlords. As such, she sets out to travel the
lands of Adrylis and log magical totems from respectful folk with
only one hitch—no ancestral help. The quest is a pilgrimage to
learn the basics of human nature. Some would call concepts like
gentleness and passion fables of the heart.

In
another perspective, war brews in the kingdom of Linmus, throwing
Adrylis into chaos. Prince Remiel Vesarus finds himself in exile,
vengeance on his mind for those who tore his life asunder. His
attendant Solus Brenner at his side, they plan on restoring their
kingdom against all odds.

Fate
has drawn these two parties together. Conjoined at the hip, the
traveler, prince and right-hand will learn the old saying of magic:
“It always comes with a price.”

Shakyra
Dunn can’t stray away from the impression that there is always an
adventure around every corner! When she isn’t playing the role of the
Creator, she is marching through the worlds of her favorite video
game characters or taking drives around her city to see the sights.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, she currently resides in Cedar Rapids,
Iowa, striving to experience more than the little town.

Mary’s family has moved into a huge Victorian mansion. She loves her gigantic new house, especially her room. But then she begins to meet the house’s other residents.

Mrs. Murray was murdered in Mary’s new house. At first she tries to scare the new residents away, but there seems to be a force connecting the ghost to Mary.

Even the stranded Brownies, the little people who live between the walls, feel that connection. When Mary becomes deathly ill, the Brownies and the ghost team up to try to rescue her, only to encounter a witch and her evil minions. Time is running out. They must rescue Mary from a fever-induced dream world before she is trapped there forever.

Emily-Jane Hills Orford is an award-winning author of several books, including Gerlinda (CFA 2016) which received an Honorable Mention in the 2016 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards, To Be a Duke (CFA 2014) which was named Finalist and Silver Medalist in the 2015 Next Generation Indie Book Awards and received an Honorable Mention in the 2015 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards. She writes about the extra-ordinary in life and her books, short stories, and articles are receiving considerable attention. For more information on the author, check out her website at: http://emilyjanebooks.ca

“Brùnaidh an Easain! It’s time you started living up to your name,” Peallaidh exclaimed.

“What?” Brùnaidh moaned. “You mean waterfall? And where am I to be finding a waterfall in this cursed place?”

“Sure and weren’t you just bursting water pipes this winter past?” Peallaidh chortled.

“That would make a bonny waterfall.”

“Aye, and a wet basement besides, with gads of giant folks traipsing through our domain to try and fix and clean the mess,” Brùnaidh pointed out. “Now why would I be wanting to do that? Besides,” he paced the small space between the wall and the outer brickwork, his feet barely touching the floor as he walked. “I think this family may be our key. The little lass needs watching.”

“The one they call Mary?” Peallaidh queried. “I can’t see how she can help. She’s but a hen, and a wee one at that.”

“But a whole lot bigger than you and I put together,” Brùnaidh noted. “After all, we’re Brownies and, magic or not, there’s only so much we can do.”

Adam Gowans is the youngest of five Air Force brats, out of which his siblings have voted him the weirdest. He loves anything that deals with stories, including movies, novels, television dramas, music, video games, manga/manhwa, and webtoons.

In his mid-twenties, he lived and taught English in South Korea for four years before returning to the States to live, like many LDS authors, in Utah.

His first novel is On Angelic Wings, which has a planned sequel, but the sequel will be released after two other novels that are calling for his attention.

Ever since magic caused his mother’s death, Ha-Neul, crown prince of Balhae, hates witches and the magic they wield. He has instituted harsh laws against all magic users.

Lisa is a young witch working undercover as a servant in his palace, hoping to gain freedom for her people. The last thing the two expect is to fall in love. But when Ha-Neul learns that Lisa is not only a witch, but the daughter of the Prince of Vires, land of witches, he banishes her. Distracted by heartbreak, he is caught off-guard by a military coup.

In hiding and on the run, Ha-Neul swallows his pride and travels with his siblings to Vires, planning to beg Lisa’s aid, only to learn that she has mysteriously vanished.

Now his only hope in reclaiming his kingdom and reuniting with Lisa lies in the remote Northern Mountains, a country no one has ever penetrated and rumored home of a powerful magic source. There, Ha-Neul learns that a being powerful beyond comprehension has been carefully guiding his destiny. But if Ha-Neul can’t let go of his hatred of all things magic, and accept the new path offered to him, it will mean the destruction of his entire world.

Love
is a little girl who faces a number of challenges between her school
and her home. We all can relate to the pressures of not being
accepted by our peers,sibling rivalry, lost relationships and the
struggle to find love through it all. While directly pin pointing
these important issues, Baby Love serves as an open call for
awareness that can hopefully bring us one step closer to making a
positive change in the lives of all children.

This
book is a must read for young adults ranging from age 13 years
and older. Baby Love tells a story of issues that arise for young
children that include bullying, issues with family, and it also
teaches lessons on self love, acceptance, and kindness to one others.

Latiera
Ford is a career HR Professional turned Author and Entrepreneur. Born
and raised in the south suburbs of Chicago, IL., she has always taken
pride in hard work and dedication.

Through
news outlets, social media, family, and friends she noticed a lack of
sensitivity that children have today. This has led to an increase in
bullying, lack of positive self-image and acceptance, as well as
family issues. Upon discovering this powerful message that needed to
be addressed she decided to self-publish her first book entitled Baby
Love. This book provides children from ages 13 and up with a straight
forward approach to some of today’s most pressing issues. While
tackling the aforementioned issues plaguing some of our youth, it
also provides a direct approach on how they can be handled, while
also teaching lessons of love and kindness. Unlike the normal cookie
cutter children’s stories, this book is also honest to the core
with some of the real issues that exist within families across
America.

Baby
Love has proven to be a strong book for this Chicago Native, and is
destined to continue making waves throughout the literary scene.
While promoting this project, Latiera is currently in Atlanta looking
to further expand her brand through speaking engagements, press,
school, vendor events and more!

All
of the elephants wept as one of their own lay dying in childbirth.
But Kanita, the daughter of the royal elephant trainer, refused to
give up. With her own hands, she helped bring the baby elephant,
Safi, into the world, beginning a lifelong friendship between a girl
and her elephant.

But
many of the villagers worried about the curse of the white elephant
with the red birthmark across her face.

Raised
in the mountains of northern Siam, Kanita’s idyllic life is
shattered when she is ordered to marry a much older man and leave her
beloved yet cursed elephant behind. But Kanita’s stubborn nature
refuses to bow to her parents’ wishes.

Kanita
and Safi flee their village with the goal of redeeming Safi from her
cursed reputation and cementing their bond, vowing to never be
separated.

But
the jungle is more dangerous than Kanita or Safi could have
imagined.

From
new author Zoey Gong, follow Kanita and Safi through the jungles of
ancient Siam in a story of friendship, hope, and redemption.

A
Girl and her Elephant is the first book in the Animal Companion
series, but each book is a stand-alone novel with new characters and
adventures.

ZOEY
GONG was born and raised in rural Hunan Province, China. She has been
studying English and working as a translator since she was sixteen
years old. Now in her early twenties, Zoey loves traveling and eating
noodles for every meal. She lives in Shenzhen with her cat, Jello,
and dreams of one day disappointing her parents by being a Leftover
Woman (剩女).

After
being found, inexplicably, standing over a brutal scene involving a
pair of recent murder victims, Jade comes to in a hospital with
limited memories. Labeled as paranoid by the seedy medical team and
locked up, she seems more a victim than a deviant. Promptly drugged
and plunged into sleep, she is submerged into a chronic dreamland
that seems controlled by another, she soon gives in to a lavish life
with a Malum who seems all too eager to see to her every desire. She
awakes in yet another reality with no memories of her past, or even
herself. Something is making her forget… and just like that she
steps into her new life.

Malum
is deeply in love with Jade and is only agenda is to give her the
world… Or so he claims. Blindly followed by his people, the Luxans,
he works tirelessly to keep them safe from the Rebels, with Jade by
his side. Surely his motives are pure… yet, the more time Jade
spends with him, the further she seems to fall from herself.

All
the while, Jade is plagued by vivid dreams of another life… one she
struggles to understand while Malum works to make her forget. As Jade
struggles to hold onto her soul and discover her past, Malum seeks to
possess all that she is.

MJ
Vieira resides in Southern Maine with her husband, Alan, son, AJ, and
their St. Bernard, Roxy. As a child, she traveled around the state
with her parents, seeing the vast history the New England state had
to offer as well as touring the nation while showing her American
Quarter Horse. While traveling, she read many of the great authors of
the time including JRR Tolkien, Stephen King, CS Lewis and Ann Rice.
It is these writers combined with power of music, mainly hard rock
and folk, MJ draws her inspiration.

In
between writing, MJ enjoys reading, collecting music and attending
concerts. Lux is the first installment in the Veritas series which is
MJ’s first published work.

Russ Wallace is a long-time student of history and religion. He employs a vivid imagination to fill in the life of Zenobia, a real historical figure and one of the most fascinating women who ever lived.

He is working on future books in the Zenobia Book Series. Zenobia – Birth of a Legend won a 2012 IPPY award in Historical Fiction.

In the 3rd century, a girl of uncommon abilities was born in the desert wilderness of Syria. Rescued from death by her courageous mother, Zenobia masqueraded as a boy to stay alive. She grew up to become one of the toughest, deadliest women who ever lived.

The first book in the series traces Zenobia’s life from age nine to fifteen, setting the stage for her amazing rise to power. It includes the beginnings of her legend and her budding romances.

No one who reads her captivating story will ever forget Zenobia!

The Author is putting both books in this Series on special offer on Amazon 25 – 26th of July 2018!

As the last of twilight faded, she heard a restless stirring among the horses. All of the horses were staring past her into the darkness toward the edge of the clearing. They obviously thought they detected something. She went to instant alert, recalling a similar reaction from the night in the forest with the leopards. She peered toward the brush at the edge of the clearing, but she did not have her full night vision yet and she could see only dim outlines of vegetation. The stars were visible, but the moon was not up yet.

It seemed to her that it was unusually quiet in the brush near the clearing, but then she was very tired. She also recalled that her head was stuffy and her hearing would be less acute. She thought she heard a slight rustling of leaves, even though there was little breeze. Maybe she was imagining it. She dismissed the idea and closed her eyes for just a moment.

Suddenly she slapped herself mentally. What are you doing? she chastised. Lions took some of the flock just last night. Nap later back in the tent. She forced herself to concentrate and focus her senses as best she could. The horses grew more restless. She did not feel well and she wished she were not alone.

She wondered if a male lion would let out his thunderous hunting roar. Sometimes on a plain they would put their head down for this tactic, vibrating the soil and making it difficult to tell where the source was. This would cause panic among their prey and it would scamper in all directions, some unwittingly right to the hunters. She decided it was more likely to use stealth near a camp.

Finally as she peered forward, she caught the faint movement of a shadow. She stood up and two minutes later she detected another shadowy movement just into the brush. A strange fear crept up her spine as she realized that she and the horses were being stalked. There were only two possibilities, and both were bad. She wished she had followed her earlier impulse to move the horses deeper into the camp by the camels. For now, she could only wait.

The next sound was a low growling from somewhere. No human could make that sound, she concluded, so at least she did not have to worry about bandits. There must be a group of lions, and one was warning another out of its space even as they prepared to attack. She wanted to give her own screeching leopard yowl to at least warn the stalkers that there was another predator about. She felt it might cause the lions to hesitate. Then she reconsidered. With her sore throat she was afraid that it might convey weakness, and actually stimulate an attack. The moon peeked up above the horizon behind her.

Her first book, Equestrian Handbook of Excuses, was a 2017 Literary Selection for the Equus Film Festival. Her second book, Confessions of a Timid Rider, is an autobiography detailing Heather Wallace’s insights about being an anxiety-ridden but passionate equestrian.

After returning to riding as a mother, she is determined to follow her dreams despite the fear she is somehow lacking in talent or ability. An in-depth look into the heart and head of a returning adult equestrian, this message is not limited only thosewith horse experience.

In fact, Confessions of a Timid Rider is the perfect book to read for anyone whom even for a moment questions their value in their designated profession or life choice. This book will inspire you to pursue your dreams despite the inner voice that says you aren’t good enough.

“For a long time I let that fear get in my way. I always felt like I was missing something when I stepped away from horses during my teens.

I’ve come a long way since I took that first step back to horsemanship as an adult. When I say I am a timid rider, it is not because I am scared to ride. Oh no, it is because I am scared to fail. I am scared that I cannot live up to my own expectations. That my insecurities will hold me back. Or that I will let my anxiety be greater than my passion once again and step away, or worse, not try to be the person I want to be. My self doubt tries to hold me back but I refuse to give in.

“As I plunge toward the ground, I see the face of my horse above me blocking the sun. For that split second before I hit the rain-packed ground I close my eyes I think to myself, “Avoid the hooves”.

This moment was one I dreaded since I became a mother. The thought of falling off and hurting myself in front of my children was something that plagued my nightmares and caused anxiety.

A few months ago, I had a near miss. Delight and I were in our weekly lesson at the barn. We came in a little too slow to the cross rail. Delight lost his balance, tripping over the rail, and we both started to fall.

In slow motion, I can still see Delight’s nose touch the ground. I slipped slowly down his neck, clinging for dear life. All I thought in that moment was if I topple over his head, he might become more unbalanced and land on me. So I slowly picked myself up and scooted back, lifting Delight’s large thoroughbred head up to help him regain his balance.

We were okay. That time. But I was shaken. I did not fall. Delight did not fall. We regained our balance, no one was hurt, and nothing bad happened. But I kept replaying the scene in my mind. The WHAT IF factor. The image became stuck in my head for the rest of our lesson and I could not let it go.

“GET OVER IT.”

I hear it frequently during lessons. My trainer sees that I am no longer connected to my horse. I am absent. Now too much in my own head.

It’s a chronic problem. My entire life I have been very cerebral, balancing ideas and considering outcomes. Horse riding has been a way for me to escape my own brain, or try to at least. Warring between self-doubt and my passion for horses.

I’ve been called many things, but “timid” never in my memory. Perhaps in a way this will show you just how important horses are to me in my life. Because this matters. Horses matter. And as a result, I want to be the best I can be. Sadly, this results in self doubt and delayed progress. I am my own worst enemy.

I am a children’s author, but up until a few years ago, I was a journalist and editor. Something rather unexpected sparked my new career as an author—a family trip to Egypt with my mother and two young nephews. We had a great time and I thought I’d write them a short story as a different kind of souvenir…. Well, one book and a planned book series later, I had changed careers. I have now published Book 3 (The Temple of the Crystal Timekeeper) in my MG adventure series Chronicles of the Stone, with many awards for the first book, The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, and a few for Book 2, The Search for the Stone of Excalibur, and one already for Book 3! I also teach online novel writing for aspiring authors and I find that very satisfying. Relaxation time finds me enjoying something creative or artistic, music, books, theatre or ballet. I love doing research for my book series. I love animals and have written two animal rescue stories. I have two adorable (naughty) little dogs called Chloe and Pumpkin, and a beautiful black cat called Bertie.

In this exciting Middle Grade adventure set in Egypt, a 5000-year-old mystery comes to life. A scruffy peddler gives Adam and Justin Sinclair an old Egyptian scarab on their very first day in Egypt. Only when the evil Dr. Faisal Khalid shows a particular interest in the cousins and their scarab, do the boys realise they are in terrible danger. Dr. Khalid wants the relic at all costs. Justin and Adam embark upon the adventure of a lifetime, taking them down the Nile and across the harsh desert in their search for the legendary tomb of the Scarab King, an ancient Egyptian ruler. They are plunged into a whirlpool of hazardous and mysterious events when Dr. Khalid kidnaps them. They learn more about the ancient Seven Stones of Power and the mysterious Shemsu-Hor. They must translate the hieroglyphic clues on the underside of the scarab, as well as rescue the missing archaeologist James Kinnaird, and their friend, the Egyptologist Ebrahim Faza, before time runs out!

The snake jerked
at the sound of his voice. It glided closer to the stone sarcophagus. Adam lay
back on the pile of smelly bones and closed his eyes to half-slits. He looked
up at the ceiling where the painted cobra shimmered.

I can’t believe
this is happening. I know it’s after me.

The slithering,
scraping sound grew louder. Then directly in front of him, just at the edge of
the stone sarcophagus, the forked tongue whipping back and forth came into view
followed by the loathsome head, which reared up, its hood spread wide. Then the
snake opened its monstrous jaws, revealing wicked fangs. A clear drop of deadly
poison, glistening like a pearl, trembled on the end of each fang. The reptile
made a hideous hissing as it stared into the stone coffin, hunting for its
prey, waiting for the tiniest movement that would betray his presence. Adam
closed his eyes so he wouldn’t have to look into the snake’s gleaming black orbs.

I’m finished, he thought,
sliding his hand into his pocket and feeling the scarab. Somehow, just holding
it made him feel calmer.